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Local, short-distance, cultural vibes tours lead China’s Mid-Autumn Holiday travel

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      China

      China

      Local, short-distance, cultural vibes tours lead China’s Mid-Autumn Holiday travel

      2024-09-18 11:15 Last Updated At:11:37

      China's Mid-Autumn Festival travel market remained stable this year, with tourists favoring local and short-distance trips blending travel with festive reunions and rich cultural experience, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

      The Mid-Autumn Festival, one of the most important festivals in Chinese culture, is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar and dates back for more than a millennium. As a festival in honor of the moon and harvest, families reunite on the occasion to admire the bright full moon, light lanterns and share the holiday pastry of mooncakes.

      Local getaways and short trips were particularly popular during the holiday, with Chinese-style night tours which allow tourists to enjoy the full moon with their families, emerging as a major trend.

      These night excursions, featuring moonlit boat cruises, bonfire parties, performances showcasing intangible cultural heritage (ICH), and outdoor concerts, provided visitors with a rich and immersive cultural experience while also becoming a key highlight for promoting local culture and stimulating holiday consumption.

      Data from online travel platforms showed a 77 percent surge in searches related to night tours of ancient towns and gardens, while searches for night boat cruises increased by 42 percent.

      "ICH performances boast deep cultural significance and unique artistic appeal, while concerts create an immersive experience that emotionally resonates with visitors. The growing trend of tourists dressing in traditional costumes for scenic photoshoots has also taken off, allowing them to express their individuality in creative ways," said Wang Jinwei, a professor at the School of Tourism Sciences of the Beijing International Studies University.

      Following the summer vacation's longer and more demanding trips, and ahead of the week-long National Day holiday from Oct 1 to Oct 7, most people used the shorter Mid-Autumn Festival break for time with family and recharge.

      The three-hour high-speed rail networks, where travelers can move between cities within three hours — such as the network connecting east China's Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, and Shanghai, or those linking Guangzhou City and Shenzhen City in south China, Chengdu City and Chongqing Municipality in southwest China — saw particularly frequent movement.

      Self-driving trips, or combining high-speed rail with car rentals, remained popular among travelers moving between cities within a province or across neighboring provinces.

      "As travel expectations rise, more tourists are seeking relaxed and comfortable travel options, as seen during this Mid-Autumn Festival," Wang added.

      Local, short-distance, cultural vibes tours lead China’s Mid-Autumn Holiday travel

      Local, short-distance, cultural vibes tours lead China’s Mid-Autumn Holiday travel

      China on Sunday released a plan on building itself into a strong power in education (2024–2035), outlining the strategic goals and the roadmap to build a world-class education system in the country by 2035.

      Since the launch of reform and opening up, the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council have unveiled a set of guidelines to promote education, which has served as strategic guidance for educational development in different eras.

      The newly published document defines the objectives and strategies for building China into a strong power in education. It aims to meet the growing demand of the public for higher-quality, fairer, and more diverse education, and tackle the long-standing challenges head on.

      "The plan aims to narrow disparities across regions, between urban and rural areas, and among schools. Previously, we emphasized achieving quality and balanced education within counties, but now, the focus has shifted to achieving quality and balanced education within cities. For preschool education, the plan highlights the importance of addressing the needs of children aged two to three by increasing the availability of seats and care facilities in areas with the necessary resources. At the high school level, it emphasizes not only expanding resources, but also fostering specialized schools, such as science-focused high schools. In higher education, the plan calls for a gradual and orderly expansion of undergraduate enrollment in quality programs, as well as scaling up postgraduate education. This provides more opportunities for people to access quality education," said Li Yongzhi, president of China National Academy of Educational Sciences.

      Education is both the foundation of public well-being and a pillar of national strength. In order to advance the Chinese modernization, the plan puts forward systematic measures to address mismatches in education supply and demand, as well as the shortage of strategically skilled professionals.

      "Providing an excellent environment for top-tier innovative talents at an early stage is crucial. In higher education, the plan emphasizes promoting classified development, designing academic disciplines and talent cultivation programs, and reforming academic evaluation methods based on national strategies and market needs. These measures will lay a solid policy foundation for higher education to better align with national strategies and meet public demand for professional training," said Li.

      The plan also sets a clear timeline and roadmap for achieving its goals. By 2027, China should have achieved significant progress in building it into a leading country in education. By 2035, the country should have fully realized the vision, with key targets achieved, including establishing the institutional system and working mechanism of the Party's overall leadership over the cause of education, building a high-quality education system, ensuring that the quality and accessibility of basic education rank among the best globally, building a learning-oriented society, significantly boosting public satisfaction with education, enhancing education's role in serving national strategies and realizing the education modernization on the whole.

      Yu Fayou, vice president of China National Academy of Educational Sciences, shared his insights on the plan.

      "First, the development of the education sector itself must be strong, with overall quality level of education being strong. Second, the system supporting education development must be strong. Third, education must make a strong contribution to the socioeconomic development as well as the national rejuvenation. For instance, the professionals we cultivate must play a significant role in driving economic and social progress. Fourth, education should have a strong international impact. Finally, public satisfaction and sense of fulfillment in education must be strong. Ultimately, building China into a strong power in education means building an education system that meets the people are satisfied with," Yu said.

      China unveils blueprint on building itself into a leading country in education by 2035

      China unveils blueprint on building itself into a leading country in education by 2035

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